Katie Taylor, part of the Manufacturing & Competitiveness (M&C) team at the U.S. Department of Energy's Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO), will share insights into:

• SETO's Mission: Accelerating solar technology advancements to support a decarbonized economy.
• Solar Technologies: From photovoltaics and power electronics to workforce development.
• Career Paths in Renewable Energy:
• Opportunities in startups, government, and beyond.
• Funding and Internship/Fellowship opportunities tailored to help you get involved in the solar energy sector.

Speaker bio

Katie Taylor  joined the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO) in September 2022 as a technology advisor on the Manufacturing and Competitiveness team.

Katie came to SETO from the cleantech startup world, spending the past six years in India as the CEO and co-founder of Khethworks, an MIT spinoff company. Khethworks develops, manufactures, and sells affordable, portable solar-powered irrigation systems, enabling year-round irrigation for smallholder farmers in Asia and Africa. While at MIT, Katie and her team began developing the patented technology behind the hyper-efficient solar pump, then moved to India in 2016 to raise funds, be closer to the customers, build a team, develop in-country manufacturing, and take the product to market.

Katie started her studies in liberal arts but decided the hard tool of engineering would best help her make scalable impact in the intersecting realms of climate change and poverty alleviation. So, she became one of the first women to complete the dual degree program between Pomona College and Caltech, earning a B.A. in physics and a B.S. in mechanical engineering, respectively. At Caltech, Katie conducted research in the Biological Propulsion Laboratory on vertical axis turbines for water and wind energy extraction. She went on to earn an M.S. from MIT in mechanical engineering, where her research in the Global Engineering and Research (GEAR) Lab focused on the modeling and design of a low-power pressure-compensating drip irrigation emitter./p>